No Motor Zone NMZ

LagoonAddict · Post by **LagoonAddict** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:09 am

Fished the NMZ Sunday...what a gorgeous day!

Launched from Kars Park...its now open to the pubic for $5.00, certainly worth the $$$.

However...kayakers beware....there's about 10' of black muck along the shoreline that's about knee deep....SOOOOO they, thoughtfully, dropped two telephone poles, close to each other that you can slide your canoe or kayak down while balancing yourself on the two poles until you're past the muck and you can board and be on your way...VERY NICe....I thought.....

When I got home I noticed that the slide on the telephone poles SCRATCHED THE LIVING SH?TTTTT OUT OF MY PRISTINE KAYAK!!! I'M SO PIZZED I CAN'T SEE !!!!

I heard you can use a heat gun to smooth them out...anyone got any "how too's" to fix scratches???

Thanks a lot!!! BTW...got three nice reds....nice day on the water!!!

Bob

BearsFan · Post by **BearsFan** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:45 am

The scratches add character.

BlueCrab · Post by **BlueCrab** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:48 am

Nice job! That was my idea for Sunday

How many folks were using the launch? Was it packed?

LagoonAddict · Post by **LagoonAddict** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 10:07 am

Hey BF....good to see you're alive and well...where are you calling home these days???

Bluecrab....only three of us out there Sunday.....I was the only one in a kayak.......left the northern end just in time...still took over an hour of hard paddling as the wind started coming in from the Southeast...by the time I got loaded up it was white capping.....best time to do the NMZ is when there's going to be a northern wind.....launch at "O-dark thirty" while there's no wind.....paddle up to the north flats, fish and then let the wind out of the north blow you home while you fish all the way !!!!

Let me know and we'll meet up one day and have at it !! Maybe BearsFan will join us and he'll show you his "MAGIC" with his 12' fly rod !!!!! WOW!!!!

Bob

BearsFan · Post by **BearsFan** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:23 am

Back in Tallahassee Bob.

I am planning for a trip down there in May. Trying to get the tarpon and kings off the beach but a MNZ trip may be in order as well.

LagoonAddict · Post by **LagoonAddict** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:28 am

Cool...give me a shout when you're down this way .....we can at least get an iced down beer!!!!

I'm probably going to order a new 18 ' Lostmen flats boat this week and it should be ready in May....if it's in you can help me break it in!!!

bob

BearsFan · Post by **BearsFan** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 11:45 am

I would settle for an ice cold one.

forced2work · Post by **forced2work** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:25 pm

LagoonAddict wrote:Cool...give me a shout when you're down this way .....we can at least get an iced down beer!!!!

I'm probably going to order a new 18 ' Lostmen flats boat this week and it should be ready in May....if it's in you can help me break it in!!!

bob

May I ask why you are chosing the lostman over some of the other boats on the market?

Forced2work

LagoonAddict · Post by **LagoonAddict** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 12:38 pm

I have been seriously visiting boat dealers for about a year and asking boat owners for recommendations on a good flats boat. I've been to Renagade, Mitzi, Carolina Skiff, Ranger, Hewes, Sterling, Gordon several times.

IMO, Ranger and Sterling are absolutely rediculous in their pricing. Nice boats no doubt but $30k - $40k is just foolish....I just can't look at it and see where it's worth that kind of money and that's before you start adding anything custom. Plus they both need 8"+ to float so the draft isn't what I was looking for.

I started looking at the Lostmen down at the launch sites and everyone I talked to that owned one bragged about it til I got bored talking to them! Then I started to follow their website about a year ago and watching what their owners were saying on there.

By coincidence a few weeks ago I was at the local car wash and a guy was washing down his Lostmen....I went up to meet him...he was from Atlanta and came down to have the Lostmen factory put some custom item on his boat. He and the owner of Lostmen had come over to take it for a test ride in the ML. Then Kevin, the owner, came over to us..he was in another car.

Long story short, I visited the Lostmen factory in Orlando last week and was greatly impressed. No assembly line production here....the two owners still participate in the construction of each and every boat. Each boat is built per custom specifications laid out by the customer (try that with Ranger or Sterling!!!) and they will also install the setups for future equipment you might want later. They only produce 1 boat per week as they are all hand constructed.

Kevin is taking me fishing on the newest boat this week as part of his quality control practice to take every boat made out for test runs before he releases it to the customer! He swears it's draft is 4"-6" and invited me to bring a yard stick, which I am !!!

His customers are raving about the boat and say the service after the sale just keeps going on and on.....

There is about a 14 week wait right now once you place the order and altho that might be a bit of a pain I think it's worth a quality, hand-built product.

Bob

JoeS · Post by **JoeS** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:00 pm

Bob, I know the Lostman is really a great boat but have you looked at Custom Gheenoe the LT25 is a great shallow water boat for the $$$$$I have had 3 Gheenoes and for the money the quality and service is exceptional.........they will custome build a boat as well.......
customgheenoe.com.........
I am a Gheenoe Fishing Team member.....

LagoonAddict · Post by **LagoonAddict** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:18 pm

Yes, the Gheenoe is a fantastic boat. I had one for years when my kids were small and I taught them how to bass fish. I was strictly into fresh water fly fishing. Loved it. I would recommend it to anyone.

In fact it's over 15 years old now and a good friend of ours, who bought it from us, down in Melbourne, is still using it with a 25 hp....runs like a cat on fire!!!!...It's funny...he comes down the river and the only thing in the water is his prop !!!! lol......I seriously kid him that one of these days its going to kill him with that much hp...

But this time I wanted the larger boat...the Lostmen has a casting deck over 7' and as I get older and stiffer I need some walking around room.

Bob

forced2work · Post by **forced2work** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:15 pm

I was just wondering there seems to be either paople love them or they hate em and i was jsut wondering how you came to your conclusion. thanks for the reply.

Forced2work

JoeS · Post by **JoeS** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:52 pm

Right now I have a Highsider with a 15 HP Merc w/ Jack Plate, I put a front deck on it so I can walk around but the Boat still weights only 130 lbs.... The Boat runs like a scalded ass dog and gets into water as skinny as my kayak.........This is my 4th Gheenoe my next one will be a LT25 with a 25 hp.........

yohan1973 · Post by **yohan1973** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:12 pm

Some may scorn me for this but I have been eyeing the gladsman and that new caimen....

JoeS · Post by **JoeS** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:14 pm

yohan1973 wrote:Some may scorn me for this but I have been eyeing the gladsman and that new caimen....

Both are excellent Micro-Skiffs.........Awesome Fishing Machines......You can't go wrong with either....

noles · Post by **noles** » Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:32 pm

Some may scorn me for this but I have been eyeing the gladsman and that new caimen....

Don't forget the gold spinners on the trailer tires!